Demystifying the Mobile Wallet

In a nutshell, it helps connect customers and merchants using the mobile devices they depend on to simplify everyday shopping and create new experiences. Industry experts predict that mobile commerce (mCommerce) products like mobile wallets will make significant advancements in Canada this year. In fact, a recent study found that the Canadian mobile commerce market will grow by 142 per cent by 2016. That’s a giant leap considering 56 percent of Canadians are still hesitant to use their smartphone for simple in-store purchases.

What many Canadians may not realize, is just how easy, convenient and secure mobile wallets can be. That’s where TELUS comes in – we can help you determine if a mobile wallet is right for you. Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more information about mobile commerce trends right here on the blog – stay tuned!

You’ve probably seen people using their smartphone to make purchases or transactions. This includes buying goods directly on your smartphone, making charitable donations via text and paying bills or buying your morning coffee using mobile banking apps on your smartphone.

A mobile wallet app on your smartphone, however, will enable you to do so much more. It will act like a traditional wallet including virtual versions of your most commonly used plastic cards – everything from debit and credit cards, to gift, loyalty and membership cards, as well as transit passes and in the future, even ID cards like your health card or driver’s licence.

The thing is, our wallets work today, but they have limitations. A mobile wallet will eliminate many inconveniences that we don’t even realize exist. It will let you slim down your current wallet and add more features to your mobile device like carrying digital versions of your beloved points or gift cards that you normally have stashed away in a drawer at home.

A mobile wallet will make your everyday routine much easier because it will allow you to use your phone more and your wallet less. How many times have you reached the checkout with a coffee in one hand and smartphone in the other? In a panicked state, you are forced to desperately search for your bank card and, if you’re lucky enough to have it on you, your points card. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just tap the smartphone in your hand to pay, collect points, use a coupon and get an email receipt all in one step?

Finally, mobile wallets will make shopping more secure. If you lose your wallet, anyone can access your information. On the other hand, if you lose your phone, you can be comforted by the fact that your mobile wallet is password protected and often covered by the same protections as your physical cards. Want to know more? Check out our upcoming blog post on mobile wallet security.

Using your phone to make everyday purchases via ‘tap and pay’ is already out there. Perhaps you’ve seen people waving or tapping their mobile phones at the cash register. Over the last several years, many Canadian banks, including CIBC, TD, Desjardins, PC Financial and Scotiabank have launched mobile payment apps that allow you to pay with your credit card using your smartphone. And you may have heard the news across the border about Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Mobile wallets will be breaking into the Canadian market sooner than you think.

All you need to get started is a little Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. More specifically, you’ll need a NFC-enabled device, a NFC SIM card, and a mobile payment app. Many smartphones on the market today are already NFC-enabled including over 20 Samsung and BlackBerry devices currently available at TELUS. Once you have the device, you can securely download your credit card details to the SIM card and simply pay for everyday purchases by opening your mobile payment app and tapping your phone at a point of sale terminal. That’s it!

Sounds convenient, doesn’t it? There’s no doubt Canadians’ personal and professional lives are increasingly dependent on their smartphones. People use their mobile phones for just about everything from online banking to fitness tracking, social networking and gaming. As smartphone functionality continues to grow, there are an infinite numbers of ways we can use our phones to enhance our lives – a mobile wallet will certainly be one of them.